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The Saracens
The Saracens are a Tribe of True Immortals originating from the hard lands of Arabia from which they spread out into the rest of the world. A lethal Tribe of warriors and survivors, the Saracens quickly carved out several flourishing empires for themselves in the sands of the Mid-East, spreading down into Africa and outward to India and the Philippines. Among the Tribal Orders, only the Saracens have numbers equal to those of the Nazoreans. Patriarch: Muhammad. Facts: -The Nazoreans have their Bible, but the Saracens have the Koran. Said to be written by Muhammed or his followers who penned it in his presence. Traditionally the Koran is kept in Arabic, but modern Saracens have translated it into many languages, ostensibly for Kaffirs (non-Muslims). -The Saracens have always been an empire-building people. Muhammed was forced to take up the sword often in order to defend his fledgling people from attacks from other, angry tribes in the desert. Because of that, Islam has always had a martial strain of thought in its teachings. Something which has proven to be both very good, and very bad for the Saracens as a whole. -Saracens are a traveling people and can be found the world over. -Saracens are also known for possessing a hunger for knowledge. They have amassed large collections of writings dating back from the most recent to the most ancient of tomes. -Saracens form Mosques, much like their mortal brethren, and conduct daily prayers and hear sermons together. -Saracens stress social commitment, especially to one's own Tribe and kin. Kin-slayers are abhorred by the Saracens. Many Saracens have also practiced Blood Feuds, tracking down the killer(s) of their close ones over great distances in order to exact vengeance. -Sadly, many Saracens have also fallen in with terrorism which plagues modern Islam. -Mecca is the HQ of the entire Order. Many of the oldest surviving members of the Saracens can frequently be found there, although they are rarely seen by anyone except when they wish to be. -Islam differs from other western religions in that it sees Muhammad as the last of a long line of Prophets (capital 'P') sent by God to give humanity true revelation. Earlier prophets had had their work corrupted by their evil followers. -Islam has a long and rich theology, but for practicality's sake it is normally divided down into the 5 Pillars of Islam. -Saracen's frequently look to the laws of their ancient ancestors who fought daily for survival in the harsh lands of the desert. Because of that, Saracens tend to have a form of justice which is both swifter and harsher than most other Adepts. Invocation: Saracens can use Invocation if they have Holy Names, Names which are so existentially empowered that the very act of speaking them affects reality itself. These Names are collected and protected by the Infinity Adepts who keep them listed in Litanies, often scrolls or books whose sole purpose is to list the Names and their nature and effects. Also known as Saint Sorcery, the powers of Invocation can be used by Storytellers to to accomplish any feat necessary to push the plot line ahead. A powerful Saracen can accomplish supernatural effects of Biblical proportions. It needs to be stressed that Invocation is not magic, you don't put a coin into the machine and get the same thing out every time. Most Names, especially smaller, simpler ones, will produce the same effect time and again, but sometimes The Almighty might see fit to tweak the results and cause something different, for whatever reason. *Invocation allows Storytellers and players to 'hijack' the systems of power or magic from other gaming systems and borrow them for use in an Adept story (or they could always make their own). Instead of magic, however, the characters would use the recitation of Holy Names. For instance, Lord of Flames would give a Saracen access to powers of fire, etc. '' ''*To Invoke a Name, a Saracen can either speak the Name or write it down or even draw a symbol representing it. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z